Psychological capital is recognized as a positive and unique factor that plays a crucial role in human resource development and performance management. It has the potential to increase employees’ efforts towards achieving organizational goals and improving their entrepreneurial strategy skills. The objective of this study was to examine the contribution of psychological capital in enhancing the entrepreneurial strategy skills of employees in Saudi universities. The study employed a descriptive approach, specifically utilizing the survey study method. The study sample was intentionally selected from different categories within the study population. Data was collected from 530 participants using two questionnaires. The findings revealed that employees exhibited an average level of psychological capital, while their practice of entrepreneurial strategy skills was rated as poor. The study also demonstrated that psychological capital significantly contributes to enhancing employees’ entrepreneurial strategy skills. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were observed in the psychological capital of employees across certain variables, such as personal and functional aspects. The average level of psychological capital among employees indicates the need for further development in this area. By focusing on enhancing psychological capital, organizations can effectively improve the entrepreneurial strategy skills of their employees. It is clear that investing in the psychological capital of employees can lead to significant improvements in their entrepreneurial strategy skills. This highlights the potential for organizations to foster a more entrepreneurial mindset and approach among their staff members. Additionally, the study’s findings underscore the need to tailor interventions and development programs to address specific aspects of psychological capital that may vary across different employees. Overall, the study emphasizes that psychological capital is a valuable resource that should be nurtured and developed within the organizational context. By doing so, organizations can not only enhance the entrepreneurial strategy skills of their employees but also cultivate a more resilient, motivated, and engaged workforce. This has the potential to contribute to the overall success and innovation of Saudi universities and similar institutions.

Alayoubi, M., Al Shobaki, M. & Abu-Naser, S. (2020). Requirements for Applying the Strategic Entrepreneurship as an Entry Point to Enhance Technical Innovation: Case Study-Palestine Technical College-Deir al-Balah. International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 9(3), 1-17.

Albashiti, B., Hajjaj, K., Thabet, W. (2017). Authentic Leadership and Organizational Commitment: The Mediating Role of Positive Psychological Capital Case of Alazhar University-Gaza, IOSR. Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM), 19(10), 2319-7668.

Alessandri, G., Borgogni, L., Consiglio, C., & Mitidieri, G. (2015). Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 23(2), 149–159. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12103

Alessandri, G., Consiglio, C., Luthans, F., & Borgogni, L. (2018). Testing a dynamic model of the impact of psychological capital on work engagement and job performance. Career Development International, 23(1), 33–47. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-11-2016-0210

Alias, N. E., Abu, N., Koe, W.-L., et al. (2020). Does Psychological Capital Matter for the Public Sector Employees? A Survey of the Impact of Psychological Capital on Individual Job Performance in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(8). https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v10-i8/7625

Azid, R. M. (2023). The Mediating Role of Self-efficacy on the Effect of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem on Entrepreneurial Intention among Banyuwangi Santri (Indonesian). Ekonomi, Keuangan, Investasi Dan Syariah (EKUITAS), 4(4), 1317–1324. https://doi.org/10.47065/ekuitas.v4i4.3304

Azman, M. A., Shahruddin, S., & Arifin, M. A. (2022). Fostering work engagement through Islamic work ethic and quality of work-life: The mediating role of psychological capital. Journal of Emerging Economies and Islamic Research, 10(2), 32–50. https://doi.org/10.24191/jeeir.v10i2.16503

Arimatika, E. U., Erlina, Rr., & Hayati, K. (2023). Influence of Authentic Leadership on Employee Performance: Ethical Climate as a Moderating Variable. Asian Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting, 23(12), 58–69. https://doi.org/10.9734/ajeba/2023/v23i12986

Baykal, E., & Zehir, C. (2018). Mediating effect of psychological capital on the relationship between spiritual leadership and performance. E+M Ekonomie a Management, 21(3), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.15240/tul/001/2018-3-008

Boudreaux, C. J. (2019). The Importance of Industry to Strategic Entrepreneurship: Evidence from the Kauffman Firm Survey. Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, 20(1), 93–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10842-019-00310-7

Bucăţa, G., & Tileagă, C. (2023). The Role of Human Capital in the Universities’ Management Efficiency Process. Land Forces Academy Review, 28(2), 136–147. https://doi.org/10.2478/raft-2023-0017

Carvalho, M., Cabral, I., Verdasca, J. L., & Alves, J. M. (2021). Strategy and Strategic Leadership in Education: A Scoping Review. Frontiers in Education, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.706608

Casanovas, L. V., Vicens, G. R. C., Canals Saurina Serra, L. (2022). Entrepreneurial skills in university degrees. Intangible Capital, 18(2), 182-194. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.706608

Chen, M., Mi, X., Xue, J., Li, Y., & Shi, J. (2023). The impact of entrepreneurial team psychological capital on innovation performance: The mediating role of knowledge sharing and knowledge hiding. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1133270

Cheng, T. M., Hong, C. Y., & Yang, B. C. (2018). Examining the moderating effects of service climate on psychological capital, work engagement, and service behavior among flight attendants. Journal of Air Transport Management, 67, 94–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2017.11.009

Chitra, T., & Karunanidhi, S. (2018). The Impact of Resilience Training on Occupational Stress, Resilience, Job Satisfaction, and Psychological Well-being of Female Police Officers. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 36(1), 8–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-018-9294-9

Cristo-Andrade, S., & Ferreira, J. J. (2018). Knowledge spillovers and strategic entrepreneurship: what researches and approaches? International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 16(1), 263–286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-018-0541-4

Davidescu, A. A., Apostu, S. A., Paul, A., & Casuneanu, I. (2020). Work Flexibility, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance among Romanian Employees—Implications for Sustainable Human Resource Management. Sustainability, 12(15), 6086. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156086

Dóci, E., Spruyt, B., De Moortel, D., Vanroelen, C., & Hofmans, J. (2023). In Search of the Social in Psychological Capital: Integrating Psychological Capital into a Broader Capital Framework. Review of General Psychology, 27(3), 336–350. https://doi.org/10.1177/10892680231158791

Dolcos, F., Hohl, K., Hu, Y., & Dolcos, S. (2021). Religiosity and Resilience: Cognitive Reappraisal and Coping Self-Efficacy Mediate the Link between Religious Coping and Well-Being. Journal of Religion and Health, 60(4), 2892–2905. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01160-y

Efilti, E., & Naci Çoklar, A. (2019). Teachers’ Technostress Levels as an Indicator of Their Psychological Capital Levels. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 7(2), 413–421. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070214

Eric-Nielsen, J., Marinkovic, V., & Nikolic, J. (2019). A strategic approach to organisational entrepreneurship: Employees’ awareness of entrepreneurial strategy. Economic Annals, 64(222), 117–146. https://doi.org/10.2298/eka1922117e

Etebarian, A., Tavakoli, S., Abzari, M. (2012). The relationship between psychological capital and organizational commitment, African Journal of Business Management, 6(14), 5057-5060, https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM11.2844

Godlewska, M., & Morawska, S. (2019). Development of local and regional entrepreneurship – which institutions matter? Evidence from Poland. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 33(1), 1017–1035. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677x.2018.1553680

Goswami, A. K., & Agrawal, R. K. (2022). It’s a knowledge centric world! Does ethical leadership promote knowledge sharing and knowledge creation? Psychological capital as mediator and shared goals as moderator. Journal of Knowledge Management, 27(3), 584–612. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-09-2021-0669

Gupta, P., De, N., Hati, S., et al. (2019). The Relationship between Positive Psychological Capital and Coping Styles: A Study on Young Adults. Psychology, 10(12), 1649–1662. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2019.1012109

Juchnowicz, M., & Kinowska, H. (2021). Employee Well-Being and Digital Work during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Information, 12(8), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/info12080293

Kantur, D. (2016). Strategic entrepreneurship: mediating the entrepreneurial orientation-performance link. Management Decision, 54(1), 24–43. https://doi.org/10.1108/md-11-2014-0660

Karimi, S., Ahmadi Malek, F., Yaghoubi Farani, A., & Liobikienė, G. (2023). The Role of Transformational Leadership in Developing Innovative Work Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Employees’ Psychological Capital. Sustainability, 15(2), 1267. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021267

Kim, M., Perrewé, P. L., Kim, Y, & Kim, A. C. H. (2017). Psychological capital in sport organizations: Hope, Efficacy, Resilience, and Optimism among Employees in Sport (HEROES). European Sport Management Quarterly, 17(5), 659–680. https://doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2017.1344284

Kong, F., Tsai, C.-H., Tsai, F.-S., et al. (2018). Psychological Capital Research: A Meta-Analysis and Implications for Management Sustainability. Sustainability, 10(10), 3457. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103457

Kuratko, D. F., & Morris, M. H. (2018). Corporate Entrepreneurship: A Critical Challenge for Educators and Researchers. Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, 1(1), 42–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515127417737291

Lang, C., & Baltes, G. H. (2019). Entrepreneurial Employees: A Review and Future Research Agenda. 2019 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Innovation (ICE/ITMC). https://doi.org/10.1109/ice.2019.8792653

Luthans, F., & Youssef-Morgan, C. M. (2017). Psychological Capital: An Evidence-Based Positive Approach. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4(1), 339–366. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113324

Makinde, O. G., & Agu, C. U. (2018). Strategic entrepreneurship and performance of small and medium scale enterprises in Aba Metropolis. Archives of Business Research, 6(9), 49-69, https://doi.org/10.14738/abr.69.5120.

Newman, T. J., & Anderson-Butcher, D. (2021). Mechanisms of Life Skill Development and Life Skill Transfer: Interconnections and Distinctions Among Socially Vulnerable Youth. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 12(3), 489–519. https://doi.org/10.1086/715890

NGO, T. T. (2021). Impact of psychological capital on job performance and job satisfaction: A case study in Vietnam, The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 8(5), 495-503, https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2021.vol8.no5.0495

Nguyen, H. M., Ngo, T. T. (2020). Psychological capital, organizational commitment and job performance: A case in Vietnam. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 7(5), 269-278, https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no5.269.

Ngwenya, B., & Pelser, T. (2020). Impact of psychological capital on employee engagement, job satisfaction and employee performance in the manufacturing sector in Zimbabwe. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 46. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v46i0.1781

Nikpay, I., Siadat S., Hoveida R., Nilforooshan. (2014). A Model for Investigating the Impact of Faculty Members, Psychological Capital on Organizational Citizenship Behaviors in Universities, International Journal of Management Sciences, 2(6), 161-168.

Niswaty, R., Wirawan, H., Akib, H., et al. (2021). Investigating the effect of authentic leadership and employees’ psychological capital on work engagement: evidence from Indonesia. Heliyon, 7(5), e06992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06992

Nityananda, J., Mohanty, A. N. (2012). Strategic Entrepreneurship: Key to Success For Competitiveness & Globalization, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 1(1), 208-214.

Ogunkoya, O. (2018). Strategic Entrepreneurship and Competitive Advantage in Nigeria Banking Industry, Management and Marketing Journal, University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, XVI (1), 107-121.

Olomi, P. O. (2022). Psychological Capital and Employee Involvement Among Money Deposit Banks IN Port Harcourt, Nigerian Journal of Management Sciences, 23(2), 249-256.

Ozturk Ciftci, D., & Erkanli, H. (2020). Mediating Role of the Positive Psychological Capital on the Relation between the Authentic Leadership Style and Employees Work Engagement: An Applied Study on Hospitality Industry. Business and Economics Research Journal, 11(2), 461–478. https://doi.org/10.20409/berj.2020.261

Panchal, N., Sharma, S., Sharma, R., & Rani, R. (2022). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment among nurses working on temporary versus permanent jobs at a tertiary care teaching hospital, Uttarakhand, India. Journal of Integrative Nursing, 4(4), 224. https://doi.org/10.4103/jin.jin_23_22

Plessis, M., & Boshoff, A. B. (2018). The role of psychological capital in the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 16. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v16i0.1007

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Pokhrel, S. (2023). Start-Up and Perceived Entrepreneurial Intention of Master-Level Students of Management. The Lumbini Journal of Business and Economics, 11(1), 49–58. https://doi.org/10.3126/ljbe.v11i1.54316

Poots, A., & Cassidy, T. (2020). Academic expectation, self-compassion, psychological capital, social support and student wellbeing. International Journal of Educational Research, 99, 101506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2019.101506

Purwanto, A., Asbari, M., Hartuti, H., et al. (2021). Effect of psychological capital and authentic leadership on innovation work behavior, International Journal of Social and Management Studies, 2(1), 1-13, https://doi.org/org/10.5555/ijosmas.v2i1.4

Raja, U., Azeem, M. U., Haq, I. U., & Naseer, S. (2020). Perceived threat of terrorism and employee outcomes: The moderating role of negative affectivity and psychological capital. Journal of Business Research, 110, 316–326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.01.026

Rego, P., Lopes, M. P., & Nascimento, J. L. (2016). Authentic leadership and organizational commitment: The mediating role of positive psychological capital. Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.3926/jiem.1540

Saleem, M. S., Isha, A. S. N., Yusop, Y. M., et al. (2022). The Role of Psychological Capital and Work Engagement in Enhancing Construction Workers’ Safety Behavior. Frontiers in Public Health, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.810145

Seikkula-Leino, J., & Salomaa, M. (2020). Entrepreneurial Competencies and Organisational Change—Assessing Entrepreneurial Staff Competencies within Higher Education Institutions. Sustainability, 12(18), 7323. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187323

Sutangsa, Suryadi, A., Hufad, A., Komar, O., & Riswanto, A. H. (2019). Entrepreneurial Skills at Retirement Age: Analysis of the Importance of Training for Retiring Employees in Bandung City. International Journal of Entrepreneurship, 23(2), 1939-4675.

Tam, C. C., Li, X., Benotsch, E. G., & Lin, D. (2019). A Resilience‐Based Intervention Programme to Enhance Psychological Well‐Being and Protective Factors for Rural‐to‐Urban Migrant Children in China. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 12(1), 53–76. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12173

Udin, U. D. I. N., Yuniawan, A. (2020). Psychological capital, personality traits of big-five, organizational citizenship behavior, and task performance: Testing their relationships. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 7(9), 781-790, https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no9.781

Wang, Y., Chin, T., Caputo, F., & Liu, H. (2022). How Supportive Leadership Promotes Employee Innovation under Uncertainty: Evidence from Chinese E-Commerce Industry. Sustainability, 14(12), 7491. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127491

Wang, Z., Liu, H., Yu, H., et al. (2017). Associations between occupational stress, burnout and well-being among manufacturing workers: mediating roles of psychological capital and self-esteem. BMC Psychiatry, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-017-1533-6

Wirawan, H., Jufri, M., & Saman, A. (2020). The effect of authentic leadership and psychological capital on work engagement: the mediating role of job satisfaction. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(8), 1139–1154. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-10-2019-0433

Xu, R. N. (2023). The relationship between psychological capital, entrepreneurial ability, and entrepreneurial performance of digital entrepreneurs. International Journal of Science and Business, 23(1), 106-119.

Xu, J., Liu, Y., & Chung, B. (2017). Leader psychological capital and employee work engagement. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 38(7), 969–985. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-05-2016-0126

Yildiz, E. (2017). The Effect of the Psychological Capital and Personality Characteristics of Employees on Their Organizational Commitment and Contribution to the Work: A Qualitative Research on Managers. Journal of Management and Strategy, 8(4), 34. https://doi.org/10.5430/jms.v8n4p34